Locomotive Wiki:Notability
For a topic to receive a separate article it should be notable. If an article does not meet this guideline it may be proposed for deletion or discussed at the Scrapyard. In most cases, the information in articles that fail the notability test should be included elsewhere; this guideline is only concerned with unnecessary topics getting entire articles. This guideline is here primarily to aid the process of maintaining a well defined article structure, rather than protecting the Wiki from any significant threat. This page is not the be-all and end-all of notability, but rather the community will form consensus on a case by case basis. However, following this page gives your article the best chance for success. What is and what is not, notable? To define what is and what is not allowed would defeat the purpose of a wiki. For new users, however, we will make some observations to help guide you if you are unsure as to what you should be publishing. To this end, what constitutes "off-topic" should be well defined. The overall topic of Locomotive Wiki is centered on locomotives themselves. We tend to have included only information about self-propelled rail vehicles thus far. There are a few exceptions to this unwritten rule, and they make defining our subject harder. For instance, it is generally accepted that we will not be including a separate rollingstock article (or articles on their different guises) as these carry the cargo of locomotives, but are not critical to all locomotives' operation and there are some of locomotives that do not work with rollingstock at all. However, we do include multiple units which are essentially a cross between rollingstock and locomotives. These are included because they are not only self-propelled, but also all its cars are critical to a set's operation. Similarly, we have not included stations as separate articles since there are many a locomotive which has never visited a station in its operational lifetime. There is also the question of whether a topic is too numerous, whether it invites a lot of unnecessary articles by its presence. This would be true for stations, as this topic invites everyone to add their local station. These are also buildings, so information about architecture may appear as well as the architects that designed the stations. This moves us further and further away from our primary focus of locomotives and coupled with similar concerns we could end up looking a lot like a mini-Wikipedia. This brings us to notability itself. All locomotives are of interest on Locomotive Wiki, but they may not notable enough to require a separate article. For instance, if an individual locomotive of a well-known class has a very straight-forward history with no surprises, it will in all likelihood have a sentence or two for an article. This information could easily be included in the article for the locomotive's class, and would not be annoying to readers who would find a link from the class' article to an article about such a locomotive a waste of time. On the other hand, an unknown locomotive from an unknown coal mine may have its own article because it would otherwise mean adding an article on the coal mine, which is obviously outside the scope of the Wiki. For a unique "DIY" locomotive of a small railway, create an article for the railway instead and include the locomotive there. Locomotives contain many parts that make them work, however, not all these parts may be notable enough to merit a separate article. Some parts are complex and require much explanation, the amount of explanation only an article could afford them. Other parts may be simple and require little more than a sentence to explain them. See also, Glossary of Terms. Distinguishing notability There are a number of ways to determine whether or not your topic is notable enough to warrant a separate article: *Perform a search engine test to identify whether the topic is popular. If it is popular, then you should probably create a separate article as that will be found by readers' searches more easily. For individual locomotives search for the railroad (railway) that owns or owned it and its number, rather than searching for the company that made it or even its model designation. This will bring up more specific results that you can work with. *Consider whether the topic is closely related to our primary focus on locomotives. If the topic is a part of a locomotive, a principle of locomotive design, or an important object/concept/person/company in the design/construction/operation/maintenance of locomotives, then chances are it is notable. *Furthermore, is the concept or object unique to locomotives? Everyday concepts used by rail transport companies are less likely to be notable. *The amount of information on the subject is important as well. If you can find very little, in books or online, it is less likely to be notable. Non-fiction Locomotive Wiki is a non-fiction encyclopedia, and therefore articles that are completely based on fictional topics are highly likely to be deleted per the deletion policy, and the information might not be included elsewhere. Still unsure? If you are still uncertain whether the article you wish to add is notable, go ahead and create the article. The community may still deem that the topic is not notable and propose its deletion. That is perfectly alright, and the information is likely to be moved to another article. Having the information included here at all is important. Alternatively, especially if you have a small amount of information, add the information to the article of the most closely related topic. Category:Guidelines on Locomotive Wiki